Tips for the Morning School Rush

I was blessed with the most adorable baby boy. He came in to the world on a chilly morning November in 2003. He was beautiful, elf like with pointy ears and the cutest dimples. He slept that day. He didn’t that night or the next or the next. Four years he never slept for more then three hours in a row. I was a very tired mom. I am still a very tired mom. Take a tired mom and add the morning school rush. That creates a cranky mom.

Alison Miller has some great advice for the morning rush and I stand behind her advice.

“The problem is in what you expect of your daughter. A four-year-old simply cannot organize herself to move as quickly and efficiently as an adult or an older child. She doesn’t yet have a mature understanding of time. She can’t yet remember what she has to do next at any given point. She can’t make a list on paper, let alone in her head. You have to allow plenty of time, and help her through the process.” Alison Miller’s answer to a parent taken from her website Life Seminars .

There are so many ways we can help our children (and those tired cranky moms). We have all heard about the Yummy Mommy movement and like any point of view there are positives and negatives, but putting yourself first so that you are well rested will help your entire family.

Here are a few things that help me with the school rush:

1) Let the children select their own clothing for the next morning as part of your evening routine the night before.

2) Have the children pack their school bags after they finish their evening homework.

3) Give yourself some time before the children wake up. Set your alarm 5 minutes early each day for five days. An extra 25 minutes each morning before your children wake up will allow you to get things done without being rushed and interrupted by children.

4) Turn the TV OFF. Television will slow everyone down and inevitably result in ” MOMMM, just 5 more minutes.” Instead make some upbeat fun music CDs and play them in the morning.

5) Consider your child’s individuality. If your son won’t eat breakfast, stop fighting. Make him a healthy shake or send him to school with a yogurt tube and a granola bar. If your daughter has a hard time waking up each morning, maybe a morning shower would help.

1 Comments

1

alifeleader

I wanted to properly identify the quoted article within this article. The original came from Dr. Alison Miller of LIFE Seminars (http://lifeseminars.com) from her many “Ask Alison” articles printed in Island Parenting Magazine over the recent years.